Easthampton, MA – Matthew S. Sosik, President and CEO of bankESB, announced that Trenton E. Taylor has been hired as Senior Vice President of Commercial Lending.

Taylor brings over 40 years of experience in banking, most recently serving as Senior Vice President of Commercial Lending at Westfield Bank, managing a $270 million portfolio. Taylor spent three years with Chicopee Savings Bank prior to its merger with Westfield Bank in April 2016. He also worked as Senior Vice President of Commercial Lending at Polish National Credit Union.

The most important day in my life wasn't the day I got married, but the day my husband and I bought our first home. Lest you think I'm unfeeling and materialistic, my husband absolutely agrees with me. We always knew we'd get married, but buying a house was a dream that we weren't entirely sure would come true, especially in our hometown of San Francisco - one of the most expensive housing markets in the country.

"Would you like the 5/1 ARM, the 15-year fixed, or the jumbo 30-year fixed?" asked our mortgage broker. We looked at each other with horror. Jumbo? That sounds so...huge. We couldn't possibly need a jumbo, could we?

Your home may hold the key to achieving many of your financial goals. Ilyce Glink, a syndicated real estate columnist and author of 100 Questions Every First-Time Home Buyer Should Ask, reports that the younger you are when you buy a home, the wealthier you will be in your lifetime. It's true that the greatest component of personal wealth in America is home equity.

You already had the color of your new car picked out or made on offer on your dream home when you got the call - your loan application has been denied. Besides being potentially heartbreaking (when will you find another "perfect" home in your price range?), a loan denial can be a financial wake-up call.

An unexpected expense is all it takes for consumers with little or no savings to get into trouble. Borrowers facing an emergency rarely take the time to shop around or understand all the terms of the loan they're offered. That hastiness can be extremely expensive, especially if you end up with a high-cost loan or, worse, become the victim of a loan scam.

Loan agreements can range from simple to complicated depending on the lender and the type of loan you're getting. Home, auto, student, personal and business loans -- they all use their own unique language. Nonetheless, all loans have a few key elements in common. Here are definitions and descriptions of some of the terms and features you're likely to come across in just about any loan agreement.

Don't be intimidated by the loan application process. While every lender has different policies, forms and documentation requirements, the typical loan application process can be broken down into three basic steps.

Shopping for a loan is just like shopping for anything else: you'll want to compare features and prices and look for sales. Although the process can be time consuming, the effort may very well save you big bucks over the long run.

Picking your auto loan is every bit as important as picking between the cherry red and the metallic black paint job on your new wheels. If you shop carefully, you could find loan terms so competitive that you have money left over to buy those fancy new license plate frames, too.

Most parents start worrying about how they're going to pay for Junior's college education before he's done with kindergarten—and with good reason. According to The College Board, a non-profit association of over 6,000 schools, colleges and universities, the average annual cost of attending an in-state public college is about $20,090. Private schools average over twice that—about $45,370.

Scary as that may seem, millions of students manage to attend the college or university of their choice, thanks in large part to the availability of need-based government-guaranteed student loan programs.

Most businesses need outside funding at one time or another. Even if you don't have wealthy relatives or rich (and generous) friends, you can still get the money you need to keep your business rolling along. Since gaining new credibility as the cornerstone of American commerce, small businesses have been receiving more support from the government and the financial industry.

Most of us know why we want credit, but we might not be sure of which loan would best suit our needs. Here's a reference guide to help you. Once you know which kind of loan to get, you can focus on finding the best rates and terms.

When you take out an auto loan you buy an auto. With a home loan you buy a home. So what do you use a personal loan for? Just about anything you please -- a big trip, computer equipment, plastic surgery, a piece of art, you name it. The list of potential sources for a personal loan is not quite as long as the list of possible uses for the money, but there are quite a few options, and each one offers its own advantages.

Remember when your parents taught you that you could only get that candy or toy you wanted if you saved your pennies? Money-savvy adults know that saving before spending is still a good rule of thumb. Unfortunately, grown-up realities aren't often that clear-cut. While a cash-only approach to managing your money might be an ideal to strive for, opportunities and emergencies crop up -- usually at the times when you're least prepared for them. So how do you know when borrowing is a good idea and when it isn't?